Computer graphical display systems are commonly used for displaying graphical representations of two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional display device, such as a cathode ray tube.
In existing computer graphical display systems, a graphics application stored on a processor-based system, such as a computer, defines an object to be rendered by the computer graphical display system. In order to render the object, the application transmits graphics data defining the object to a graphics pipeline, which may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The graphics pipeline via well-known techniques processes the graphics data received from the application and stores the graphics data in a frame buffer. The frame buffer stores the graphics data to define the image to be displayed by a display device. The frame buffer is used to store a set of data for each pixel displayed by the display device. Each set of data includes the color value of the corresponding pixel as well as any additional information needed to appropriately color or shade the identified pixel, such as transparency and depth values. Each set of data is correlated with the coordinate values that identify a pixel position on the display device. The frame buffer transmits the graphics data stored therein to the display device via a scanning process such that each line of pixels defining the image displayed by the display device is consecutively updated.
Multiple display devices may be used to display a single large image in which each display device displays a portion of the large image. In such an embodiment, the multiple display devices are treated as a single logical display device or screen, and different portions of an image may be rendered by the different display devices. Each of the multiple display devices may be associated with different computer systems and the multiple computer systems may be interconnected via a computer network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN). An X Window System is a standard for implementing window-based user interfaces in a networked computer environment and it may be desirable to utilize X Protocol in rendering graphics data in a networked computer system. A more detailed discussion of the X Window System and the X Protocol that defines it may be found in X Protocol Reference Manual Volume Zero (O'Riley & Associates 1990) by Adrian Nye.
Although it is possible to render and display two-dimensional and three-dimensional data in conventional computer graphical display systems, there exists limitations that restrict the performance and image quality exhibited by such systems. High quality images, particularly three-dimensional images, are typically defined by a large amount of graphics data and the speed at which conventional graphics pipelines can process the graphics data defining an object is limited. The above-referenced patent application, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EFFICIENTLY RENDERING GRAPHICAL DATA” describes a computer graphical display system and method for efficiently utilizing a plurality of graphics pipelines to render graphics data for a display device. However, a user of existing computer graphical display systems does not have control over the management and use of the graphics pipelines used in the system.